Joint investigation analysis

Report on the Joint Investigation Analysis for the Development of Technology Package for Bamboo Boards (Bamboo Laminates) Sponsored by TIFAC Prepared by IPIRTI Bangalore Introduction Development of panel products based on bamboo strip are gaining importance as these panel products reassemble wood when used in a particular fashion as in parallel laminates These laminates will have superior physical mechanical properties and are suitable for structural and specialized application More over requirement of resin adhesives is expected to be lower compared to bamboo mat based composites and therefore making the products cost effective which are considered to be ideal for alternates to wood and plywood for several end use applications IPIRTI has developed bamboo laminates, which can be a good substitute for sawn wood in many applications particularly in furniture Bamboo laminates are durable, stable and environment friendly Synthetic resin adhesives like urea formaldehyde (UF resin), Melamine Urea Formaldehyde (MUF resin) and Phenol formaldehyde (PF resins) have been used in the investigation with modifications required for uniform bonding of the bamboo strips Bamboo Laminates/boards Bamboo laminates could replace timber in many applications such as doors and windows, frames, partitions, furniture, flooring and some structural applications IPIRTI has already developed a technology for bamboo laminates that is ready for commercialization Critical to this aspect is the establishment of process and technology parameters, in the form of technology packages that could be taken on for commercial application by entrepreneurs Bamboo needs to undergo certain processing to convert to value added applications To establish the process technology parameters at different stages of conversion to boards/ laminates, after determining the anatomical, physicomechanical & chemical properties and anti-fungal treatment, an intensive exercise is being taken up by IPIRTI, Bangalore, in a joint study with TIFAC, New Delhi In order to prepare a technology package encompassing the critical aspects for processing technology in terms of properties of two species of green bamboo i.e Bambusa nutan and Dendrocalamus hemiltonii has been identified and obtained from Assam The yield of workable slabs after the primary processing operations such as crosscutting, radial splitting, two- side and four-side plaining has been compiled Other operations such as starch removal & anti-fungal treatment for slivers/slats, drying & gluing followed by hot pressing and finishing of the final product has also be investigated Methodology Under the project the following detailed investigations were carried out: Sl No Activity Study on Green bamboo Check points x Average usable length, diameter, wall thickness, node protrusion x Inter-nodal distance x Starch, silica and lignin content 2 Cross cutting Radial splitting Two/ four side plaining Slivers/Slat finishing Product Yield Resin manufacturing, application and hot pressing Testing x Moisture content x To be cut to required length depending on hydraulic press platen size x Uniformity of splits x Machinability/amenability to processing x Surface straightness x Measurements of dimensions, sizing & sorting x Fibre separation x Yield / Wastage study x Texture & smoothness of slivers x Yield of slivers/slats from green bamboo culms to be calculated on weight basis x Adhesive formulation, Assembling, Hot pressing, Trimming & Finishing x Product testing to evaluate mechanical properties The bamboo strips are boiled in preservative for 3-4 hours during which starch is removed The study involves evaluating the yield of bamboo at different stages of processing from green bamboo to final board level The critical aspects for processing technology are in terms of properties of green bamboo and the yield of workable slats after the primary processing operations such as cross-cutting, radial splitting, internal knot removing and four-side planing Other operations such as starch removal & anti-fungal treatment for slivers/slats, drying & gluing followed by hot pressing and finishing of the final product have also been investigated along with testing parameters & methods for final products i.e bamboo laminates/boards The study has given the yield of products from green bamboo after harvesting Species of bamboo used for making bamboo laminates Two species of bamboo namely Bambusa nutan and Dendrocalamus hamltonii which are available in plenty in North Eastern part of the country were taken for making laminate under the present study Characteristics of bamboo i) Bambusa nutan A medium sized bamboo, culms 6-15mts in length, 5-10cm diameter, loosely clustered straight, green, smooth and not shining Internodes 25-25cm long and thick walled ii) Dendrocalamus hamiltonii A large bamboo sometimes growing tall and erect or often culms at an angle or curved downwords Culms 12-20mtrs or upto 25 mts tall Usually naked below, much branches above 10-18.5cm diameter, greyish white when young, dull green when old Internodes 30-50cm long wall thickness 1.2cm thick Manufacturing process of bamboo strips and yield The procedure for making Bamboo strips involves the following steps a b c d e f g h i j k l Selection of bamboo Marking to the required length Cross cutting and external knot removing Splitting and sizing Internal knot removing Boiling/steaming Drying Four side plaining Sorting & Assembling Gluing Pressing Trimming & plaining Bamboo culms of larger diameter not less than 10cm and wall thickness in the range of to 1.5cm were cross-cut to predetermined length in a cross cutting machine Branches in the nodal portion, if any, were removed by manual process and mounted on splitting machines The split bamboo were than mounted on knot removing and width sizing machine so as to get rid of external bulging and to get rectangular bamboo strips not having more than two nodes in a given length to facilitate further processing The bamboo strips were then immersed in boiling water in the presence of preservatives so as to remove the starch and enhance the durability of the bamboo These strips were than dried to 8-10% moisture content in a hot air chamber These strips were then passed through the four side plainer to get bamboo strips of smooth and uniform thickness Note: Selection of raw material is one of the important steps from the point of view of reducing the wastage and getting quality strips For these purpose bamboos with large culms and thick walls are suitable for processing as the number of sections obtained from each culm or more there by getting more number of strips It is also advisable to select straight bamboo which can be processed easily and to avoid wastage The wall thickness should be in the range of 12mm-15mm and having an outer diameter of more than 90mm so that the processing will be easy and wastage is reduced Moisture content of bamboo is very important for processing The moisture content of bamboo should be in the range of 40-70 for smooth processing into strips Otherwise dry bamboo has to be kept under water to gain moisture before splitting The following flow-chart explains the step by step process from green bamboo culms to board making Primary Processing : ( Steps for Sliver/Slat Making from Green Bamboo Culms): Green Bamboo Culm > Cross Cutting to required length > Radial/parallel Splitting > Internal Knot Removing & Two-side Plaining > Four-side Plaining > Slivers/Slats Secondary Processing : (Steps for Making Board/Laminate from Slivers/Slats): Slivers/Slats > Starch Removal & Anti-fungal Treatment > Drying > Resin Application > Laying of Slivers/Slats > Hot Pressing & Curing > Laminates/Boards > Trimming > Plaining/sanding Surface Coating: Finishing Stages Board > Surface Sanding & Finishing > Surface Coating with melamine/ polyurethane > Curing of Laminate > Fine Sanding > Evaluation of Surface Properties MATERIALS AND METHODS Species of bamboo: Bambusa nutans Dendrocalamus hamiltonii Length of Bamboo: mts No of bamboos: 500 Nos each obtained from Assam OBSERVATIONS About 30 –– 35% of bamboo had slight curvature either in the centre or towards the end The curvature of bending varied from 2”” to 8”” Internodal length varied from 35 cms –– 60cms within the bamboos Outer diameter varied from 55cm- 88cm within the bamboo Inner diameter varied from 30cm to 60cm within the bamboo PROCEDURE 10 samples of bamboo from each species were randomly selected and measurements such as length, inner diameter, outer diameter, wall thickness, internodal length and the weight of the bamboos were recorded The process was continued for 14 batches and all dimensions were recorded Table 1: Average physical data of species Dendrocalamus hamiltonii Length in mtrs 5.02 Outer dia Inner dia Weight in in mm in mm kgs 67.89 43.19 10.5 Table 2: Average physical data of species Bambusa nutans Length in mtrs 5.0 Outer dia Inner Weight in mm dia in in kgs mm 69.35 39.83 9.03 Cross-cutting A cross cutter is used for making a cut across the culms without development of any additional splits on the culms and leads to drastic reduction in raw material wastage A Tungsten Carbide Tipped (TCT) saw is used for Cross-cutting Bamboo culms and it needs periodic resharpening There is a provision in the machine where the desired length of Bamboo to be cross-cut can be preset Safety guards are provided on the machine to take care of the safety aspects during operation Since the laminate size was 1.22 mt., the bamboo was cut to 1.22mt and reweighed From the difference in weight the yield was calculated Table 3: Average yield of cross cutting Species B.nutans D hamiltonii Wt of Time for Wt of bamboo processing Processed (kg) (min) bamboo (kg) 51.76 4.5 51.7 53.3 52 Differe nce in Wt (kg) 0.06 1.3 % Yield Remarks 99.88 97.56 Yield is less if the bamboo is bent The cross cut bamboos were then divided into two portions and weighed First portion was subjected to radial splitting and second portion was subjected to parallel splitting From these, few samples were drawn for density measurement, moisture content, lignin content, starch and silica content It is well established that the diameter and wall thickness of the bamboo varies from top to bottom Hence it is advisable to segregate the bamboo as top, bottom and middle portion so that the quality of the strips and the width of the strips can be maintained Splitting: The main function of this machine is to carry out splitting of Bamboo culms using two parallel circular blades The spacing between the two circular cutters can be adjusted depending upon the width desired The advantage of this machine over the radial splitter is that somewhat uniform width splits can be obtained This will reduce the requirement of planning Table 4: Average data for splitting of bamboo Species B Nutans D hamiltonii Wt Of bamb oo (kg) 51.76 48.8 D hamiltonii 58.1 Type of Time taken splitting for processing each cross cut section Radial 3min secs Hand split Parallel 1hr 10 B.nutans D hamiltonii 44.4 46.6 Parallel Parallel 1hr 45 Wt of Differ splits ence in Wt % Yield Remarks 51.7 48.2 0.06 0.6 99.88 98.77 - 36.8 21.3 63.33 Bamboo was bent 24.3 26.3 20.1 20.3 54.73 56.44 Bamboo was bent OBSERVATIONS - - Radial splitting is faster and wastage is also less, but the split width is only 14-16 mm If the specification for the purchase of bamboo is followed meticulously, then the width of the bamboo and the no of blades can be changed without any problems Parallel splitting is time consuming and a number of machines will be required for production line A lot of dust is formed during splitting This is hazardous to operators Installation of a dust collector should be done Width of the parallel splitting bamboos are in the range of 2225 mm which are quiet useful for horizontal laminates Though parallel splitting in slower, the cost of a parallel splitter is much less than a radial splitter and with a trained operator the quality of slivers is more uniform in parallel splitting Also, the wastage & jamming of machinery at the planing stage is less The splits are then dressed with a hatchet, so that it can fit into knot removing machine This is not a mandatory operation during processing of bamboo Since the diameter of the bamboo was less than 85mm, protrusion of knots was higher than expected Hence hatchet was used for dressing the bamboo This process is labour oriented and production depends on skill of the worker Strip is passed through knot removal and width sizing machines Bamboo width sizing, knot removing and plaining: The splits are two sized planed with the help of rotary cutters in this machine Table 5: Average data on two side planing Species B Nutans D hamiltonii Wt of strips 32.0 48.2 Time taken for processing 50 1hr Wt of final strips 23.4 38.0 Differe nce in Wt 10.6 10.2 % Yield Remarks 73.12 78.8 OBSERVATIONS - Strips having bigger knots have to be dressed properly to fit into the machine -Machine breaks down often Modification of the machine to suit Indian bamboo is most essential -The blades has to be sharpened once in 6-8 hours depending on the species of bamboo or otherwise it will affect the smoothness of the strips Starch Removal & Preservative Treatment The rough planed strips are boiled in boiling vat Chemicals like Sodium Pentachlorophenate, Boric acid-Borax mixture are added to water in the vat as preservatives The concentration of the chemicals are 1% NaPCP, 1.5% Boric acid and 1.5% Borax Normally, bleaching is not carried out during boiling since, hydrogen peroxide will have a violent reaction Hence it is advisable to bleach the strips either before boiling or the laminates can be bleached The colour of the strips can be changed by steaming the strips in a pressure tank, which is heated by steam at 5-6 kg/cm2 for 2-4 hours The intensity of the colour depends on the temperature and the time The higher the temperature and longer the time the darker will be the colour After boiling and steaming the strips has to be dried in hot air chamber at 80r 2oC to a moisture content of 8-10% If the strips are not dried properly there are chances for fungal attack After drying the strips can be passed through four side plaining machine which is equipped with four side and face cutters of which two cutters horizontal and two are vertical so that it can plain four surfaces of each strip at the same time to a predetermined dimension The plain strips may have some defects like blue stains, sawing marks, reining, dents and ripples Hence it should be checked and graded accordingly The present facility available at IPIRTI is only a oven and not a dehumidification chamber as already pointed out in the earlier line the hot air chamber can be made use for drying of the strips Table 6: Average data for drying of strips Batch Species Wt of Time taken No strips for drying BO2 B Nutans 23.4 hr 40 BO3 D hamiltonii 38 4hr Wt of final Difference strips in Wt 17.7 10.6 29.6 10.2 % Yield 75.64 77.89 Bamboo four side plaining machine: Planing of all four sides of Bamboo strips is done by this machine The width and thickness of the strips can be set in this machine and smooth surfaces and uniform size for all strips are thereby obtained Table 7: Average data for four side planing Species Wt Time taken Wt of of for drying final strips (min) strips (kg) (kg) D hamiltonii 29.6 40 12.8 B.nutans 11.8 35 5.1 Thickness (mm) Difference in Wt (kg) % Yield 4.22 3mm 16.8 6.7 43.24 43.22 OBSERVATIONS i Since the diameter of bamboo is less, the strips are more concave in nature To obtain a rectangular strip, more material has to be removed Thus the thickness of strips obtained does not exceed mm ii If four side plaining is done before drying, due to high moisture content, there are chances of warping of strips More over fibre rising in the strips will be predominant iii Dust/splinters coming out of the wet bamboo will block the dust extractor and causes stoppage of the machine iv On the other hand, the boiled and dried bamboos are easy to operate and quick in processing Fine dust comes out of the dried bamboo will be easy to suck from the dust extractor Table 8: Analytical data on Bamboo Lignin content % 27.49 Silica Content % 1.7 Remarks 588.72 Starch content % 2.22 12-14 - 18.5 - Starch gets removed 43.51 764 2.7 29.3 1.7 17.5 Sl No Species Moisture content% Density Kg/m3 B.nutans Before boiling B.nutans After boiling 70.72 D hamiltonii Before boiling D hamiltonii After boiling 12-14 Starch gets removed Silica content after boiling is not applicable as the epidermal layer is removed after strip making and then put for boiling When analysed it indicated that silica is mainly present in the epidermal layer Resin formulations and its processing Urea formaldehyde resin Liquid urea formaldehyde resin was manufactured in the resin kettle by reacting urea and formaldehyde in the mole ratio of 1:1.5 Reaction was carried out initially at pH 7.5 –– 8.0 at a temperature of 90 –– 950C for a period of 90 minutes followed by reduction of pH to 5.0 –– 5.5 and continuing the condensation at 90 –– 950C till the desired water tolerance of the resin was obtained pH of the resin was finally adjusted to 7.5 and cooled to room temperature The resin manufactured had the following properties Flow time –– 22 seconds at 250C when measured in B-4 flow cup of IS:3944 Water tolerance –– 1:3.0 at 250C Solid content –– 48 per cent (appox.) Urea melamine formaldehyde Liquid Urea melamine formaldehyde (UMF) resin was manufactured by reacting Urea melamine and formaldehyde in the mole ratio of 1: 0.75 : 0.75 Reaction was carried out initially at ph 8.0 at temperature 90r20C for a period of 50-60 minutes till the water tolerance of the resin is obtained pH of the resin is finally adjusted to 7.5-8 and cooled to room temperature The resin manufactured had the following properties Flow time –– 18 seconds at 250C when measured in B-4 flow cup of IS:3944 Water tolerance –– 1:2.5 at 250C Solid content –– 52 per cent ( appox ) Phenol formaldehyde resin Liquid phenol formaldehyde was manufactured in the resin kettle by reacting phenol and formaldehyde in the mole ratio of 1:2.1 The reactants were heated up to 600C Due to exo-thermicity, temperature goes up to 90r20C automatically When the temperature is stabilized it is lowered by cooling and the resin was condensed at 85r20C till the flow time when measured in B4 cup of IS:3944 is 15-16 sec in hot condition The resin is then cooled to room temperature and discharged The resin manufactured had the following properties Flow time –– 27r5 seconds at 250C when measured in B4 flow cup of IS: 3944 Water tolerance –– 1:10-12 at 250C Solid content –– 48-50 per cent 10 strips before hot pressing are 18-20 % for MUF resin and 16-18 % for PF resin The consumption of the glue per sq ft of laminate works out to 35-40 gms Note : Gluing of strips manually by brushing is laborious and time consuming Better means of gluing the strips is passing through a glue spreader A glue spreader with 30 cms rubber roller will be sufficient for this purpose Table 9: Data on Average Glue Consumption of bamboo laminates Species B nutans D hamiltonii B nutans B nutans D hamiltonii No of strips glued 22 22 22 22 22 Width (mm) 21 21 18 18 18 Thickness of strips (mm) 4.00 4.00 3.5 3.5 3.5 Glue consumption (gms) 250 250 200 250 250 Type of Type of Resin Laminates MUF MUF PF UF UF Vertical Vertical Vertical Vertical Vertical Assembling and hot pressing Once the glued bamboo strips are ready they are taken for assembly The strips which were pre assembled for a particular laminate are again reassembled and tied together ( at least in places ) along the length The assembly is covered with BOPP film which act as releasing material The assembly is now ready for hot pressing A number similar assemblies are made ready together depending on the capacity of the hot press Hot press used for pressing bamboo laminates is a simple hydraulic press with flat platens and arrangement for applying pressure vertically The hot press is equipped with the following additional facilities to make the press suitable for pressing bamboo laminates i) Arrangement for applying pressure horizontally ii) There are dividers placed on the platen The dividers are steel bars of rectangular shape having cm width and thickness equal to the thickness of the laminates to be made For the present study dividers of 19 mm thick were used The hot press platens were heated with steam Temperature of the platens was kept at 105 –– 1100C for UF resin, 115 –– 1200C for MUF resin and 140 –– 1450C for PF resin Hot press pressure varying from 10-14 kg/cm2 with side pressure 2.5 kg/cm2, vertical pressure for vertical laminates 10 14kg/cm2 vertical pressure and 2.5 kg/cm2 side pressure for horizontal laminates were applied Hot press time was 12 minutes for 18 mm thick laminates If the side pressure is more than the required then there are chances of buckling of the finished product and the rejection rate will be more Planing and finishing of laminates with various surface coating agents 12 Laminates manufactured in the pilot plant were on both ends to obtain smooth, square ends The laminates were then plained in a plaining machine to get smooth surface Sanding and surface coating of the product need to be carried out to obtain the finished product Testing of bamboo laminates 10 samples of vertical laminates were tested for block shear strength, MOR, MOE, screw withdrawal strength, compression strength and abrasion resistance properties Results and Discussions The outer diameter of bamboo is in the range of 60-70 mm, which is very much less for parallel splitting The minimum diameter required for splits of uniform width with maximum yield should be in the range of 85 to 95 mm The weight of the bamboo also varies considerably; this may be due to uneven moisture content percentage of moisture varied from one bamboo to other and also it may be due to different age groups Selection of bamboo for making laminates is one of the important criteria from the point of view of not only quality but also to make it cost effective The results of the cross cutting operation indicate that it is a simple and low time consuming step with negligible wastage Splitting can be done in three ways i.e [1] Radial splitting, [2] Parallel splitting and [3] Hand splitting From the table it is clear that parallel splitting is more time consuming and percentage of wastage is also more The only advantage of parallel splitting is the width of strips is in the range of 23 to 25 mm, which is suitable for horizontal laminates If proper design of blades are carried out which can fit into radial splitting machine it is possible to obtain 25-30mm width size strips In case of radial splitting the width of the slabs are less but it is fast and wastage is also less This may be used as a core material in the horizontal laminates and can also be used for vertical laminates Hand splitting depends on the efficiency of the persons and also number of blades present in the hand split equipment After splitting the strips are manually dressed with machete so that it can fit into the knot removal machine This machine needs some modification to suit Indian bamboos It was observed that the break down of the machine is more often during processing which will be a bottleneck during continuous production Hence it has to be reviewed thoroughly before recommending for commercial production The strips then either can be sent to four side planning or it can be boiled with preservative to remove starch If the strips are boiled and then dried four side planning will be quick and the dust comes out will be easily extracted from the dust extraction chamber Since the diameter of bamboo is less than 80 mm, the concavity is more in the strips thereby by planing wastage is more, hence the strips obtained will be of mm thickness only If the diameter of bamboo is in the range of 85 to 100 mm then the thickness of the strips can be increased to to mm depending on the wall thickness of bamboo Properties of bamboo strips obtained from parallel splitting is higher than that of radial splitting including density This might be due to higher width of the splits in parallel splitting Properties of both species of bamboo in parallel splitting has given almost 13 same reasons Vertical bamboo laminates made out of parallel split strips of the two species of bamboo and it can be seen that there is not much difference between the properties of Bambusa nutan and Dendrocalamus hemaltonii except that the strength is directly proportional to the density of the final bamboo wood Compressive strength, block shear strength, screw holding strength [edgewise] is very much higher in case of Dendrocalamus hemaltonii compare to Bambusa nutan One of the reasons for this might be the brittleness of Bumbusa nutan The results summarized are based on limited number of samples tested due to time constraints It can be seen that the overall yield varied from 9.5 to 11 percent The yield can be improved, if the diameter of the bamboo is more than 85 to 95 mm and also if some improvements are made in the machinery used at various stages The cost of the bamboo processed at the Institute facilities available have been calculated, taking into consideration the cost of bamboo, power consumed by each machine, labour, preservative chemicals, resin adhesives, etc This is only an indicative and there may be some difference in regular production The cost will also come down on regular production In four side plaining machine the dust extractor has to be improved to increase the efficiency The process of making bamboo laminates is more labour intensive and to increase the efficiency of the workers, proper training has to be given not only in the operation of the machine but also in handling of materials especially in the field of assembling, pressing and finishing, so that the product quality and finishing can be improved considerably Observations and Suggestions The present study aimed at finding out various process parameters of the manufacture of bamboo laminates, performance of the available machinery, constrains involved and suggest probable remedial measures Raw Material The quality of bamboo required for manufacture of laminates can be discussed with reference to hardness, girth, wall thickness, straightness, age, moisture content etc Hardness: Softer species cut better than the harder ones High silica content accelerates blunting of the cutting knifes/blades During the study it was found that knot removal and width sizing is found to be difficult with hard bamboo due to frequent jamming of the machines and also fibre raising is higher Girth: One of the important factor controlling the yield and quality of strips is the girth of the bamboo Higher the girth of bamboo, easier to make strips and higher is the yield Girth of 100mm or more is suitable for conversion to strips Bamboo having lower girth is difficult to process using the available machines and the yield is also low due to higher wastage Bamboo with lower girth gives strips of concave nature the thickness of the strips will come down considerably for converting into a rectangular strip Wall Thickness: It is one more important property of bamboo, which affect both processing as well as yield of strips Bamboo having wall thickness 10-15 mm have been found ideal for processing to obtain increased yield Strips having wall thickness less than mm is difficult to process because the cutter system cannot remove both the 14 epidermal and endodermal layers of the strips With higher wall thickness of the bamboo, the present knot removing machine are not suitable hence part of the thickness have to be removed prior to processing in the knot removing machine Thus the yield becomes lower Straightness: This property of bamboo has profound importance on the yield and quality of strips During radial splitting of bamboo the splitting takes place along the grain direction of the bamboo If the bamboo is curved in nature, all the strips will be curved Such strips are difficult to process further Same thing will also happen if the splitting is done by hand In the case of parallel splitting, the yield will come down as wastage will be more during cutting of straight strips from a curved bamboo Age of Bamboo: Bamboo of age group 3-4 year old have been found most suitable for making strips Although bamboo matures in 1-1.5 years, the strength of the bamboo will be very much less compared to higher age More than years old bamboo starts drying and deteriorating and hence difficult to process and quality and yield of strips are also poor Moisture Content: This is one very important factor affecting the quality of strips The ideal MC of bamboo for strip making is 50-60 per cent Selection of quality of bamboo is one of the important criteria to initiate manufacture bamboo laminates Selection has to be done at the source before felling Procurement of unwanted material will affect the yield and ultimately the economy of the production Table-10: Test data on Bamboo strips Moisture content 10 –– 12 % SL.NO Properties Density, g/m3 a Average b Standard deviation c.Variation Coefficient, % Modulus of rupture,N/mm2 a Average b Standard deviation c.Variation Coefficient, % Modulus of elasticity,N/mm2 a Average b Standard deviation c.Variation Coefficient, % Compression strength,N/mm2 a Average b Standard deviation c.Variation Coefficient, % Sample no Sample no Sample no BN/R BN/P DH/P 0.61 0.81 0.86 146.9 42.5 29.2 218 63 29 225 48 21 25000 8100 32.5 35700 19400 54.2 37400 6500 17.3 47.12 14.32 30.4 45.6 21.2 46.5 50.4 17.9 35.6 Laminates withstood cyclic boil dry test without any delamination 15 BN - Bambusa nutans DH - Dendrocalmus Hemiltonii P - Parallel R - Radial Table –– 11 Test data on Bamboo Laminates *(Vertical) Moisture content 10 –– 12 % SL.NO Bambusa nutans Dendrocalmus hemiltonii B1 B2 B1 B2 0.81 0.02 1.69 0.78 0.02 1.94 0.77 0.01 0.67 0.99 0.01 1.47 103 - 68 - 93.9 - 236 - 12910 - 9870 - 12100 - 23400 - 93.27 6.78 7.27 81.71 0.59 0.72 76.89 9.06 11.78 124.2 5.59 4.50 - - - - 2926 - 4055 - 3248 - 4285 - 1886 - 2088 - 1556 - 4000 - Properties g/cm3 Density, a Average b Standard deviation c.Variation Coefficient, % Modulus of rupture,N/mm2 a Average b Standard deviation c.Variation Coefficient, % Modulus of elasticity,N/mm2 a Average b Standard deviation c.Variation Coefficient, % Compression strength,N/mm2 a Average b Standard deviation c.Variation Coefficient, % Block shear strength,N/mm2 a Average b Standard deviation c.Variation Coefficient, % Screw withdrawal strength, N i Face a Average b Standard deviation c.Variation Coefficient, % ii Edge a Average b Standard deviation c.Variation Coefficient, % * Made out of strips obtained by parallel splitting 16 Table-12 Test data on Bamboo Laminates *(Horizontal) Moisture content 10 –– 12 % SL.NO Properties Density, g/cm3 a Average b Standard deviation c.Variation Coefficient, % Modulus of rupture,N/mm2 a Average b Standard deviation c.Variation Coefficient, % Modulus of elasticity,N/mm2 a Average b Standard deviation c.Variation Coefficient, % Compression strength,N/mm2 a Average b Standard deviation c.Variation Coefficient, % Block shear strength,N/mm2 a Average b Standard deviation c.Variation Coefficient, % Screw withdrawal strength, N i Face a Average b Standard deviation c.Variation Coefficient, % ii Edge a Average b Standard deviation c.Variation Coefficient, % Bambusa nutans Dendrocalmus Hemiltonii 0.81 0.02 2.73 0.92 0.01 1.59 152.6 - 151.4 - 12840 - 13740 - 81.37 0.59 0.72 119.59 3.06 2.55 8.63 1.18 13.65 14.05 0.09 0.65 2078 - 2260 - 3945 - 5588 - * Made out of strips obtained by parallel splitting 17 Table 13:% Yield of the Final Finished product ( Bamboo Laminates) Intial Wt Cross cutting wt % yield Splitting 53.5 56.7 53.5 62.8 57.8 45 51.8 51.76 55.24 48.8 58.1 52.9 44.4 46.6 96.748 97.425 91.215 92.516 91.522 98.667 89.961 51.7 32 48.2 36.8 52.4 24.3 26.3 42.8 41.8 97.664 18 Drying % yield Four side plaining % yield Sorting & pressing % yield 72.5 25.8 48 10.3 19.3 7.3 14 23.4 38 25.1 28.7 20 16.9 41.3 71 40 49.7 44.4 32.6 17.7 29.6 18.4 22.3 15.1 11.7 31 55 29 39 34 23 8.8 12.8 8.3 9.5 6.3 8.1 15.5 23.9 13.2 16.4 14 15.6 6.7 7.8 7.7 6.3 12 15 12 12 12 15 35 11.8 28 5.1 11.9 4.4 10 % yield Knot removal % yield 96.6 38.8 56.4 90.1 58.6 90.7 54 50.8 Rejecte d 42.1 Trimming & plaining % Yield 5.2 5.8 6.4 6 9.72 10.23 11.96 9.55 10.38 18 TABLE 14: POWER CONSUMPTION Process Cross cutting Parallel splitting Radial splitting Internal & External Knot removal Sliver Drying & Chemical Impregnation Four side planning Unit No of cross cuts 9250 Culms of 1.2m/hr Culms of 1.2m/hr Strips of 1.2m/hr 450 Plaining Total: Actual output per hr Machine HP of m/c Hrs Required Power Total Units Kw-hr In 300 days 19.27 28.7508 8625.25 15 30 67.14 20142 1400 100 14 7.5 78.33 23499 44050 1000 44.05 15 492.92 147875.85 42.33 1515.75 454725.792 547.688 164306.5 480 strips 44050 Strips of 1.2m/hr m2 44050 900 6.954 32 10 238.72 71616 Parquet pieces 204.28 (in shifts) 1824 (both sides of parquet) 90 20.26 30.2279 9068.376 m2 204.28 16 23.872 71616 Pressing Trimming Unit to be processed per day 48 48.94444 15 98.83 971474.768 At 80% load factor, and Rs.3.5/ unit, Cost of power is 971474 x x 3.5 = Rs.27.2 lakhs 19 Table 15: CAPAC ITY UTILIZATION OF VARIOUS MACHINES Process Unit Unit to be processed per day Actual output per hr Machine Machine Utilisation No of Machines Required Hrs Required Cross cutting No of cross cuts 9250 480 19.27 2.4 Parallel splitting Culms of 1.2m/hr Culms of 1.2m/hr Strips of 1.2m/hr 450 15 30 3.75 1400 100 14 1.75 2( double station) 44050 1000 44.05 5.50625 Radial splitting Internal & External Knot removal Sliver Drying & Chemical Impregnation Four side planning strips 44050 Strips of 1.2m/hr m2 44050 900 48.94444 6.118056 6.954 32 Parquet pieces 204.28 (in shifts) 1824 (both sides of parquet) 90 20.26 2.5 m2 204.28 Pressing Trimming 48 16 2 Plaining Total: 20 Technology Profile for a Bamboo Board Manufacturing Unit Assumptions Assuming that all machines operate at 70% of production capacity For obtaining a true picture, actual data from trial runs of indigenously developed machinery has been assumed From observations that that the radial splitting is more than times faster than parallel splitting, wastage is almost nil but wastage during subsequent stages are more than in parallel spitting, it has been assumed that 70% of cross cuts are split radially Slightly larger diameter straight cross cuts undergo parallel splitting Cost of bamboo culm has been assumed at Rs.25/pole from where sections can be obtained and strips from each cross cut Assuming spacers take up some portion of the platen, the number of parquet in each operation is taken as 19 The press has been assumed to run for two shifts to maintain production capacity Energy per unit has been assumed at Rs.3.5 and 80% load utilization Covered area of 90sq m for the factory @4500/ sq m has been assumed Contribution of the promoter is 30% of the total project cost The margin working capital of 30% the total working capital is included within project cost The final product will be unfinished boards which for use as flooring tile would require sanding and surface coating 21 Project Cost Unit cost Cost Total Rs in lakhs Rs in lakhs Rs in lakhs Partticulars I Land and Land Development Land and land development , Acres of Land @ Rs 1.5Lakh/Acre Sub-Total I 12.00 II Civil Work 1) Fencing with barbed wire and live Fencing m 2) Gates with RCC pillars 3) Building sq.mt 4) Boring,Water storage , distribution/drainage and general illumination, piping 5) Electrification Sub-Total II III Plant and Machinery Processing Machinery 1) Cross-cutting 2) Parallel Splitting 3)Radial Splitting 4) Knot removal and width sizing 5)Four side plaining 6) Surface Planer Sub-Total III Other Equipment 1) Drying & Chemical Impregnation 2) Hot press 8ft x 4ft 3) Grinding 4) Trolleys 5) Measuring instruments including lab 6)Standby Generator 325 KVA 7) Air compressor 8) D.D.Saw 9) Boiler 10) Oil heated resin kettle 11) Glue mixer 12) Maintenance costs with tools 4.7 90sq m 4500/sq m 0.00001 40 4.00 4.00 52.70 2 0.35 0.70 2.14 4.74 3.50 1.25 1.05 1.4 4.28 23.7 21 2.5 53.93 22.66 10.00 0.50 0.10 1 1 1 12.00 0.25 1.25 7.00 2.00 0.50 0.60 22.66 20 0.5 0.6 12 0.25 1.25 0.5 0.6 Sub-Total IV V Electrical Power and Water Supply 68.36 1) Electrical installation for about 350KVA load 2) Water supply including 12 22 storage tank of 5000 liter capacity Sub-Total V Miscellaneous 1) Vehicle (Mini Truck) 2) Jeep/car 3) Communication 4) Office equipements 5) Furniture and fixture Sub-Total VI 14.00 1 7.00 5.00 4.00 2.50 20.50 221.49 Total Capital cost (I toVI) VI Prelimnary and preoperative expences (5% of Project Cost) VII Margin money for working capital (30% of working capital) 11.075 72 VIII Contigencies 0.50 A )Total Project Cost 305.06 23 PRODUCTION COST OF UNFINISHED BAMBOO LAMINATES (On the basis of 300days in hours working) I II Rs in Lakhs Total in Lakhs Raw Material Bamboo Adhesive Preservative Releasing agent Bopp film 138.75 13.17 3.95 16.04 171.91 Energy and other Manufacturing costs Maintenance charges 30.00 6.00 36.00 III Salaries, wages and Overheads Salaries Managerial staff Factory manager Foremen Supervisory staff Sales manager Administration Casual labours and security to Staff 2.40 1.80 0.72 1.92 0.96 1.92 21.0 30.72 IV Sales promotion and commission to dealers V 240.63 Total Production cost for 61286.4 sq mts (300days) Production cost Per sq mt in Rs Add Depreciation Buildings Machinery 254.69 50 8.00 8.50 Add Interest Term loan of Rs213 lakhs @3.5% 7.47 Working Capital loan Rs.72 lakhs @3.5% 2.52 9.99 Total Manufacturing Costs Production cost per sq mt in Rs Production cost per square feet in Rs 259.12 422.8 ~ Rs.39 24 Raw Material Assessment Sl Particulars Dimensions Value 1.12m x 001344 10cm x 12mm b Volume of one strip after four side 1.12mx20mm 89600 planing x 4mm c Surface area of each parquet 1.12m x 0.112 0.10m d Surface of hydraulic machine platen 1.22 x 2.14 f No of parquet which can be made in one 19 operation (d/c) g No of cycles per hour h Area of parquet which can be made in 102.14 two hr shifts(16 x g x f x c) i Annual Production in shifts using 61286.4 presses j No of parquets per annum(i/c) 547200 k Strips required per parquet 21 l Total no of strips required per annum(j/k) 11491200 Assuming about 15% of wastage due to colour and dimension variations n No of strips required for maintaining 13214880 production capacity per annum o No of strips required for maintaining 44050 production capacity per shift(m/300) l No of bamboo culms of approx dia Assuming 1850 cuts (85cm ) and length (5m ) required per cross and strips (1836) shift (o/4 x 6) from each cross cut a Volume of each parquet Unit m3 mm3 m2 m2 Pieces m2 m2 pieces pieces pieces pieces pieces Pieces 25 Capacity Utilisation & Power Requirement of Machines Process Unit Unit to be processed per day Actual output per hr Cross cutting No of cross cuts 9250 480 19.27 2.4 0.35 1.05 28.7508 Parallel splitting Culms of 1.2m/hr 450 15 30 3.75 2( double station) 0.7 1.4 67.14 Radial splitting Culms of 1.2m/hr 1400 100 14 1.75 2 2.14 4.28 7.5 78.33 Internal & Strips of External 1.2m/hr Knot removal 44050 1000 44.05 5.50625 10 4.74 23.7 15 492.92 2 12 Sliver Drying & Chemical Impregnati on strips 44050 Four side planning Strips of 1.2m/hr 44050 m2 Pressing Trimming m2 Planning Total: 204.28 Machine No of No of Total no of Unit Cost Total HP of Power Utilizatio Machines laborers labourers of m/c Cost of m/c n Required required at required at m/c each each stage Hrs (lakhs) Kw-hr machine Required 48 900 204.28 (in 6.954 shifts) Parquet 1824 pieces (both sides of parquet) Machine 90 48.94444 6.11805 22.66 42.33 1515.75 30 15 547.688 32 4 10 20 10 238.72 20.26 2.5 2 1.25 2.5 30.2279 2 1.25 2.5 23.872 16 60 108.09 98.83 26 ... Melamine Urea Formaldehyde (MUF resin) and Phenol formaldehyde (PF resins) have been used in the investigation with modifications required for uniform bonding of the bamboo strips Bamboo Laminates/boards... properties and anti-fungal treatment, an intensive exercise is being taken up by IPIRTI, Bangalore, in a joint study with TIFAC, New Delhi In order to prepare a technology package encompassing the critical... the final product has also be investigated Methodology Under the project the following detailed investigations were carried out: Sl No Activity Study on Green bamboo Check points x Average usable